Wire-block stripper



1,475,435 E. E. KILMER ET AL WIRE BLOCK STRIBPER Filed Sept. 15. 1921 e Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 27 ,,1923.

E. E. KILMER ET AL IRE BLOCK STRIPPER Filed Sept. 15. 1921 6 $heets-$heet 2 Nov. 27, 1923. 1,475,435

E. E. KILMER ET AL WIRE BLOCK STRIPPER Filed Sept. 15. 192i 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 @42'2255/ a I In 2/6/2375! Nov. 27 1923. 1,475,435

v E. E. KILMER ET AL WIRE BLOCK STRIPPER Filed Sept. 15. 1921 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Q3 In uenm S W Nov. 27, 1923.

E. E. KILMER ET AL WIRE BLOCK STRIPPER 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Sept. 15 1921 Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES ELMER E. KILMER AND FRED P. GROTH, OF

STATE IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, OF

ILLINOIS.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO INTER- CHIOAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF WIRE-BLOCK STRIPPER.

Application filed September 15, 1921. Serial No. 501,008.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELMER E. KILMER and FRED P. GRo'rH, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, having jointly invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Wire-Block Strippers, do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference letters refer to the same or similar parts.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate embodiments of the several features of our invention, Fig. 1 is a side view; Fig. 2 is an elevation and sectional view on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in e-levation at the line 33 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail side View of parts of the carrier at the lower end of its lifting or stripping run with a stripping-reel connection; Fig. 5 is a detail front view of the same parts; Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 6-6 in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is adetail view of parts of Fig. (3; Fig. 8 is a detail side view of parts of the carrier at the lower end of its delivering run; Fig. 9 is a sectional View on the line 9-9 in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a detail side View of the collapsible hook with its trip in section; Fig. 11 is a rear view of the trip for the hook; Fig. of a stripping-reel; Fig. 13 is a sectional view on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12 showing the stripping-reel in position on one of the blocks; and Fig. 14 is a detail sectional view showing parts of the stripping-reel and feeding-reel.

Our invention relates to wire block strippers, and its object is to provide new and improved means to automaticall strip the coil ofdrawn wire from the b ock and remove it to a suitable point and deposit it on a feeding-reel for a subsequent drawing or on a truck or the floor when finished as the case maybe, thereby eliminating all the manual labor of lifting and stripping the coil from the block and placing 1t on the feeding-reel for a subsequent drawing, and also reducing the time of doing the work to increase the production.

In the usual present method of drawing wire after the wire is drawn through the die or draw-plate and coiled on the revolving block the coil is manually lifted or 12 is a top plan view stripped over the top of the block by the operator and placed by him on another feeding-reel for the second drawing, this manual work being repeated by him as often as it is necessary to pass the wire through a smaller die to reduce it to the requ red' size or diameter, and the work of stripping the coil is again repeated after the final drawing; as the block is mounted on a bench with its top between three and four feet above the floor and the coil of wire often weighs as much as 300 pounds and is quite hot from the friction created by drawing it cold through the die the stripping work is very hard ,on the operator and is very slow. The manual labor of thus handling the coil is so great that few men can do this line of work, and none can stand it for any considerable length of time, while much time is consumed especially in the stripping operation so that the output of the bench is limited.

By our invention the coil of wire just drawn on the block is automatically stripped from the block and raised high enough to clear the block and conveyed as far away from the bench as desired and is deposited upon another feeding-reel for a subsequent drawing or upon a truck or pile after drawing as the case may be.

With these ends in view our invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and then pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings the reference letter A indicates a draw bench or frame on the floor a and onwhich are located die-boxes or draw-plates B through which the wire is drawn from suitable feeding-reels G by the revolving drums or blocks D, D and D disposed along the bench in the usual relation to the dies and revolved by the usual mechanism located under the bench including a suitable clutch to connect and disconnect it to each block; three blocks are shown as usually one operator has charge of this number, but it is understood that as many mayupon a feeding-reel from which it is-drawn,

through a second die box B to a second revolving block D, and the above manual operations are then repeated; if a third drawing is necessary to reduce the wire to the desired diameter the coil is placed by the operator on a second feeding-reel from which it is drawn through a third die-box B to a third revolving block D and thecoil is then manually stripped over the top of this block.

In order to eliminate this manual labor according to our invention the blocks are constructed to receive a stripping-reel upon which the drawn wire is coiled as the block revolves, and when the block is stopped a conveyer automatically lifts the reel and its coil from the block and transfers them-to another feeding-reel for a subsequent drawing or to a pile or truck after the drawing.

As shown the blocks D are conical in contour and are provided with a series of slots d in the outer faces of their bodies and in the upper faces of their flared rims d.

The stripping-reels E are composed of upper open-end drums e slightly smaller in diameter than the bodies of the blocks in order to rest thereon, and legs 6' intermediately pivoted ate in the outer ends of the cross-arms or spider e fastened on the interior'of the drum. The legs depend below the drum and are bent outwardly below their pivots through apertures in its lower edge, and their lower portions are inclined outwardly from this point tocorrespond with the taper of the block and terminate in radially projecting or outwardly flared feet 6 the legs on each reel correspond in number and circumferentially spaced relation with the slots in the blocks, so that when a reel is in place on the block its legs and feet will lie in the slots and grooves of the block with their exposed surfaces flush therewith as shown in Fig. 13, and the wire will be wound around the outer edges of the legs and will rest upon the outwardly flared feet. The upper ends of the legs are connected by pivoted links e to a sliding collar or sleeve 6 which moves up and down on a stem or post a rigidly mounted on-the spider or cross-frame e the sleeve is prevented from turning on the post and its reciprocation thereon is limited by a closed slot e therein engaging a pin 6* on the post, and the sleeve is provided with a suitable shackle or eye 6 at its upper end to receive a suspending hook as hereinafter explained. When a stripping-reel hangs by its eye or shackle the weight of the drum will slide the sleeve up to its raised position at the upper end of the post, and this draws the upper ends of the legs inwardly and throws their lower ends outwardly,-so that if the reel is then lowered into position on a block its legs and feet will enter the slots of the block and lie flush with movement of I the at the center of the drum;

is supported overhead travels away When the shackle is released with the reel ofi' the block the sleeve slides down the stem and throws the legs inwardly as shown in Fig. 14 thereby releasing the coil of wire from the reel, and as the sleeve on its stem is long enough to withdraw the feet inwardly within the circumference of the drum the coil will drop or pass off the reel.

carrier mechanism is provided that lifts the loaded stripping'reel high enough to clear the block, then conveys it horizontally as far away from the bench as is desired and then lowers it downwardly toa suitable level at which point the reel is uncoupled from the carrier and then the legs of the reel are released to collapse and pass or drop the coil. In practice it is usual to successively draw the wire through a plurality of dies to reduce it to the desired size, and in the present exemplification of our invention the carrier mechanism is illustrated to serve the three blocks usually attended by each operator, though it is to be understood that this apparatus may be adapted to a single block .or to any number of blocks. As shown, a drive shaft F driven'from any suitable source of power is journaled above the bench in bearings provided in depending hangers G suitably supported overhead; these hangers are V-shape or triangular in outline in side elevation and are arranged above the blocks in slightly offset relation and provided with upper and lower bearings for suitable upper and lower shortshafts g and g which carry sprocket wheels and g, respectively, with a sprocket wheel on the drive shaft to carry the associated conveyer chain H moving in the direction of the arrows in a its outer portions.

depending loop above the block. The distance between-the shafts g and g is suflicient so that a stripping-reel attached to the chain H at apoint near the lower sprocket g will be lifted high enough to clear the top of the block from which it is raised by the time the attaching point on the chain passes to the upper sprocket 9 In front of the bench hanger G a depending V-shaped hanger G and is provided with bearings for upper, lower and intermediate shafts 9 g,

respectively, over which the chain H runs to form a depending loop at its outer portion. The shaft 9 is carried in adjustable hearings to keep the chain taut. The lower run of the chain extending between the opposite sprockets g and 9 from the bench, and the sprocket g? is preferably set slightly'lower than the sprocket g in order to give this operative run of the chain a slight downward inclination toward the floor at its outer end, and this run of the chain'travels and in line with each in vertical alinement lUC carryin S rocket wheels g *3 p 78q .09, d gm on a supporting track or way H extending between the hangers. The distance between the sprockets g and g is sufficient to give the outer loop of the chain H a drop that will lower a stripping-reel attached to it into convenient position near' the floor in front of the bench. The chains H with their hangers and sprockets are arrange-d in pairs and each pair is connected by a plurality of spaced cross-rods h, each rod having suitably spaced fixed collars h between which the collapsible hooks hereinafter described are carried. When two blocks are employed the carrier apparatus requires only a pair of chains as shown in Fig. 2, this being accomplished by having the cross-rods connected at one end to the chain H above the first block D and at their other ends to the chain H above the sec ond block D. When three or more blocks are employed the carrier apparatus thus far described is duplicated, in which case the third chain H is carried over the third block 1) as shown at the right of Fig. 2 in the same manner as the left vhand chain of the first pair, and the fourth chain (not shown) is carried at the extreme end similar to the middle chain of Fig. 2, with the rods h extending in the same manner between the third and fourth chains; in this arrangement the adjacent sprockets of the two carriers may be connected by extending their short shafts. When only a single block is used the distance between a pair of chains and their supporting devices is shortened,

these parts being correspondingly arranged closer to each other, and the cross-rods h are shortened. each having only a single-pair of spaced collars.

The carrier provided by a pair of chains and their cross-rods extends in a vertical run or loop at each end with an intermediate horizontal run;the inner loop is arranged above the bench and provides a lifting-run to raise the stripping-reel and stri its coil of wire from the block, the intermediate run extends away from the bench and provides a carrying-run to shift the loaded stripping-reel to any desired point, and the outer loop is arranged. in a depending delivery-run to lower the loaded stripping-reel downward to deliver the coil at any convenient position.

When the coil of wireon the strippingreel is to be given a further drawing the outer or delivery .loop of the carrier may deliver the reel to a feeding-reel Cv which is composed of a conical skeleton frame 0 having a head 0' and a flaring base a mounted on a rotatable platform 0 The height of the. frame 0 exceeds the length of the legs e and its lower portion is of substantially the same diameter as the drum 6 so that when a coil of wire is deposited by a stripping-reel on a feeding-reel it regains its form and may be fed ofi to the next The temporary connection between the carrier and a strip-ping reel may be provided in any suitable manner. Inthe form shown, a chain M is provided with a hook m at one end constructed to engage the shackle 6 of the reel and with a collapsible hook m at its opposite end constructed to be engaged by any one of the cross-rods of the carrier near the base of its lifting-loop and to be released from the rod by a suitable trip-near the base of its delivery loop. The collapsible hook m is pivoted at its inner end as at m in the lower portion of a yoke m which is, attached at its lower end to the chain M and is offset upwardly and provided at its upper end with a crosspin on extending beyond its sides to provide a through-rod or lateral arms. setting and releasing link m is pivoted at its lower end to the free end of the hook at m, and at its upper end as at m to the crotch of a bell-crank lever whose in ner arm m extends into the yoke and is pivoted on the cross-pin m and whose outer arm m extends forwardly and projects above and beyond the outer end of the hook to act as a trip-arm. When the outer end of the bell-crank lever is down in its normal horizontal position it sets the hook in position to engage over a cross-rod on the carrier as shown in Fig. 4, and when the trip-arm engages with a suitable stop or bracket it is raised upwardly and rocks the hook m on its pivot So that it is thrown back and released from the cross-rod to which it was temporarily hooked as shown in Fig. 10.

Each hanger Gr is provided on its inner face with an angular bracket N, which projects laterally and; inwardly beyond the vertical plane of the associated carrier chain, where it i provided with 'a pair of laterally spaced forwardly facing depending flanges n extending parallel with and adjacent to the vertical plane of the shackle of a stripping-reel when it is in place on the block beneath the hanger. A wing n is pivoted to the lower portion of each flange at n and is provided at its lower end with an offset 11, to abut against its flange and retain it in horizontal position against the force of a retracting spring W. The wings are spaced apart to admit the yoke of a collapsible hook between them and are provided with upwardly facing grboves n in the top edges forming seats for the arms m to hold the hook in the path of the cross-rods. The wings form a springretracted holder for the hook, and when a rod engages a hook it lifts its reel ofli the block, the rod wiping past the wings and engaging their beveled lower edges n to rock them on their pivots to allow the od to clear, and their s rings then return the wings to their norma horizontal position to receive another hook.

Each hanger G is provided near its lower end with a trip for the collapsible hook which in the form shown is a hinged trigger O secured to a hanger G in the path of the chain M as it moves through the latter part of its horizontal run and also in the path of travel of the arm m as the collapsible hook is lowered on the delivering-run of the carrier. The trip is composed of a pair of leaves 0 and 0, pivotally connected in the form of a butt-hinge by the pintle 0 about which a spring 0 is coiled with its ends bearing on the leaves to normally hold them in alinement. The leaf 0 is fixed to the hanger, and the leaf 0 projects into the path of the chain M near the end of its horizontal run and yields horizontally to the stress of the chain with its loaded stripping-reel 'toallow it to pass and then returns to its normal position under the action of the spring and projects unyieldingly into the vertical path of the trip-arm of the collapsible hook so that as the hook is lowered by the carrier passing downwardly in its delivering-run its arm m is caught by the rearwardly projecting shelf 0 of the leaf and the hook is tripped to release its engagement with the cross-rod of the carrier and drop the suspended stripping-reel with its coil of wire.

In the operation of the device, a stripping-reel is positioned'on the block D and the end of the wire to be drawn is passed through the corresponding die and secured to the block which is then revolved to draw the wire through the die and coil it on the block, which is then stopped. The shaft F drives the carrier in the direction of the arrows,

- and after the coil is completed on the block D and its strippin -reel the operator connects the hook m o a transfer chain to the shackle of the reel and places the arms m of the yoke of the collapsible hook on the seats on the wings of the bracket N above the block D, and as the carrier travels one of its cross-rods pames around the sprocket g and in its ascent to the sprocket 9 engages the hook m and carries it upwardly with the attached stripping-reel and the coil of wire. As the rod moves upwardly it wipes against the inclined lower edges of'the wings n and turns them on their pivots against the tension of their springs to allow the rod to pass, and the wings are then returned to their normal position by their springs. The upward movement of the rod and its attached hook lifts the stripping-reel with its coil of wire off the block and raises it to a height sufiicient to clear the block; the horizontal runof the carrier then conveys it as far away from the bench as desired, the. chain the trip-trigger, and the delivering-run of the carrier lowers it to suitable distance above the floor when the trip-trigger releases the hook m from the rod of the carrier and the stripping-reel with its coil drops.

' If a second drawing of the wire is desired the stripping-reel with its coil is deposited by the carrier on a feeding-reel C; when the stripping-reel is lowered to the underneath feeding-reel and the tension of the hanger chain M is released from the shackle e the spider e rests on the head 0' and the sleeve 6. drops on its stem, and as the distance from the pivots of the legs e to their feet is less than that from the head'e' to the base 0 the legs of the stripping-reel collapse inwardly and the coil is then supported on the feeding-reel ready for the second drawing, the strippingreel being then readily withdrawn from the coil. A second stripping-reel being mounted on the block D, the end of the coil from the reel C is passed through the correspond ing die and attached to this block which is then revolved. The operations above described are duplicated until the coil on the second stripping-reel is released therefrom. If a third drawing is desired a third stripping-reel is mounted on the block D and the operations are repeated. At the end of any drawing the reel and its coil may be deposited on a truck or pile, and when the tension of the hanger on its shackle is released the reel collapses and dumps the coil.

The entire operation of the device is automatic with the exception of placing the empty stripping-reel on the .block and of placing .the associated collapsible hook in the bracket, both of which require but a few seconds; as soon as the operator has positioned these parts his work for stripping the drawn coil of wire from the block is finished. He can then immediately start the next coil through the die and put the first block again in operation while the first coil is being transferred to the dump or to the feedingreel for its second drawing. In practice we use four stripping-reels for every three blocks, so that one operator can keep them in practically continuous operation without any heavy manual labor.

In our application filed J1me 21, 1922, Se-' rial Number 569,827, which is a division of the present application, we claim various features of the feeding reel and the revolving block and the stripping reel.

We claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a wire-coiling block, a stripping-reel having coil-supporting legs constructed to seat on the block, an endlex carrier having a vertical run above the block and a horizontal run from the upper end of the vertical run, and means to connect the reel to the carrier near the lower end of its vertical run.

M with its suspended weight wiping past 2. Ina device of the class' described, a

wire-coiling block, a stripping-reel con- 'reel having coil-supporting legs constructed to enter the seats, an endless carrier having a horizontal run and depending runs at the ends thereof, one of the latter runs being above the block, and a suspending device for the reel constructed to engage the carrier near the lower end of its inner run, and means near the lower end of the outer run to release the suspending device.

4. In a device of the class described, a

wire-coiling block havin seats, a strippingreel having coil-supportlng legs constructed to enter the seats, an endless carrier having a horizontal run and depending runs at the ends thereof, one of the latter runs being above the block, a suspending device for the reel constructed to engage the carrier, a bracket near the lower end of the inner run to hold the suspending device in the line of the carrier, and means near the lower end of the outer run to release the suspending device. V

5. In a device of the class described, a stripping-reel having pivotally mounted coil-supporting legs, means on the reel to radially expand and contract the legs, a susnding device for the reel having a collapsible hook, a carrier having cross-rods, means to guide the carrier in a horizontal run and depending end runs, a bracket adjacent the lower end of one of the end runs to support the hook in the path of cross-rods, and a trip adjacent the lower end of the other end run to release the hook from a cross-rod.

6. In a device of the class described, a stripping-reel having pivotally mounted coil-supporting legs, radially expand and contract the legs, a susnding device for the reel having a collapsible hook, a carrier having cross-rods, means to guide the carrier in a horizontal run and depending end runs, a bracket adj a- .cent the lower end of one of the end runs to support the hook in the path of the crossrods, and a trip adjacent the lower end of the other end run to release the hook from a cross-rod.

7. In a device of the class described, a stripping-reel, a suspending device for the means on the reel tov reel having a collapsible hook, a carrier having cross-rods,

means to guide the carrier in a. horizontal run and depending end runs, a holder adjacent the lower end of one of the end runs to support the hook in the path of the cross-rods, and a vertically pivoted spring-leaf adjacent the lower end of the other end run to release the hook from a cross-rod.

8. In a device of the class described, a stripping-reel a suspending device for the reel having a collapsible hook, a carrier havin cross-rods, means to guide the carrier in a orizontal run and depending "end runs, a yielding holder near the end of one of the end runs to support the hook in the path of the cross-rods, and a trip adjacent the lower end of the other end run to release the hook from a cross-rod.

9. In a device of the class described, an adjacent pair of wire-coiling blocks, a drive shaft having a sprocket-wheel above each block, a pair of hangers in line with each sprocket-wheel, one of the hangers of a pair being above each block, sprockets on the hangers arranged in upper and lower relation, a chain passing over the sprockets of each pair of hangers in vertical end runs and anintermediate horizontal run, and cross-rods connecting the chains.

10. In a device of the class described, an

adjacent pair of wire-coiling blocks, a drive shaft having a sprocket-wheel above each block, a pair of hangers in line with each sprocket-wheel, vone of the hangers of a pair being above each block, sprockets on the hangers arranged in upper and lower relation, a chain passing over the sprockets of each pair of hangers in vertical end runs and an intermediate inclined run, cross-rods connecting the chains, and a pair of spaced collars on each end of the rods.

11. In a device of the class described, a wire-coiling block, a feeding-reel spaced from the block, a stripping-reel constructed to receive the wire coiled on the block and to deposit the wire coil on the feeding-reel, a carrier having a horizontal run and depending runs respectively above the block and feeding-reel, a suspending device for the stripping-reel constructed to engage the carrier near the lower end of its run above the block, and means to release the suspendingdevice near the lower end of the run above the feeding-reel.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

ELMER E. KILMER. FRED P. GROTH. 

